SUNDAY October 27, 2024
The Son of God’s Love
He [God] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love....
Colossians 1:13
False teachers had infiltrated the church in Colossae. These men did not deny the importance of Jesus Christ, but they simply dethroned Him. They gave Him prominence, but not preeminence. Remember what I said: The danger in their teaching was that they did not give preeminence to Jesus Christ. In their philosophy, Jesus Christ was but one of many emanations that proceeded from God the Father, through which men could actually reach Him.
Paul was refuting this claim and stood against Gnosticism and Judaizers ––those who were trying to keep people under the Law. And yet, probably there is no paragraph in the New Testament that contains more concentrated doctrine about the Lord Jesus Christ than this one in Colossians 1. False doctrine can creep into our churches today. That is why this incredible chapter is of vital importance. It will keep us from a fatal detour away from the Gospel of truth, because it proves the preeminence of Christ.
Paul used good, theological arguments in the book of Colossians. Christ is the Savior of the world. Philosophers or false teachers can never see this truth in the way Christians see it. It is something they cannot resolve in their minds. Yet the Bible always points us to Christ's preeminence. In regards to Israel, the prophet Isaiah revealed this truth about Him: “...I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel” (Isaiah 49:26 NLT).
What did Mary, the mother of Jesus, proclaim in her song? In Luke 1:47, she sang: “...my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” What did the Holy Spirit revealed to Elisabeth when Mary visited her? She said: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43). Jesus is God; therefore only He can be the Savior of the world.
Never does a person see any beauty in Christ as a Savior, until they discover that they are a lost and ruined sinner.
~J.C. Ryle~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
